Tale As Old As Time
by bluedawn01
Summary: Rose Tyler is a peculiar belle of a girl who's never quite fit into her poor, provincial town. The Doctor is a beast of a Time Lord who has sequestered himself away, cursed and unloved. Accompanied by a cast of crazy and unique friends and enemies, they'll fight and waltz and (perhaps) even sing their way toward happily ever after.
1. True As It Can Be

**I just recently re-watched 'Beauty and the Beast' and was struck with the similarities between Nine and Rose and the Beast and Belle so this little piece of fluffity-fluff came into my brain. But, as it always goes for me, it's now neither little nor all fluff. It might be rubbish, but it's pretty fun to write, so I'm going to keep at it. I hope you like it! AU from both Dr. Who and Beauty and the Beast. Warning: There is a sort of intense scene in the middle with Jimmy and Rose. Nothing bad but the potential is there. **

* * *

Rose Tyler was a peculiar girl. There was no way around it. The people of this little town didn't know what of make of her. For example, instead of taking up a perfectly acceptable hobby...like gymnastics, for instance, she tended to do things quite unladylike. Things like Read. Which led to Ideas. And, even worse, Thinking. What self-respecting girl went around Reading and Thinking?

Well, and there was the fact that she was English. But she couldn't help that, could she?

And her father! Pete Tyler...a looney, he was. He always had some new scheme, some new tonic, some new invention.. In the time since the Tylers arrived several years ago, the people had started to ignore the billowing smoke and frequent explosions which emanated from their basement.

Yes, no doubt about it, Rose Tyler was a funny girl and their first instinct was to dislike her. That, however, proved to be a Problem. You see, it's hard to dislike someone as charming, as friendly and as beautiful as Rose Tyler. It was difficult to dislike a girl who brought you homemade biscuits on the anniversary of your Grandmother's death. It was difficult not to smile back when she smiled that dazzling, tongue-touched smile you. So she quietly flitted around town, leaving people charmed but confused in her wake.

What a Puzzle was Rose Tyler.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

.Rose sighed to herself as she walked through town. She really wished the townspeople wouldn't stare at her like that. She knew they thought she was odd. She knew they stared at her when she walked past, whipping around and pretending to be busy when she turned.

It wasn't her fault she didn't fit in here in this poor, provincial French town with its strangely bouyant greetings and unnatural predisposition for capitalizing things that didn't need to be capitalized. She was from London, born and raised. When her mother died, hit by an errant car when Rose was just a girl, her father had taken his tonics and inventions on the road. He and Rose had travelled across Europe but their money had run out here in France and so now they were Stuck.

Oh, drat. Now she was doing it too.

Stuck at least until Pete's next invention would take off and they could finally leave. Rose ached to travel once again, to have adventures in the great wide somewhere out there. She wanted much more than this life. She traipsed her way through the street on her way to the library. Her book was past-due and she needed a new one. Or an old one, perhaps. There was one about a charming time-traveller that she returned to time and again. The strong, charismatic heroine didn't even discover that the man was an alien until chapter three! Maybe she'd read that one again.

A few minutes later, nose stuck firmly in her newly-checked out old favorite, Rose ran directly into a very solid body.

"Oof!" she cried, none too delicately settling onto the ground with a thud. Her library book went flying to the side, landing beside a pair of large black boots.

"You know if you got your nose out of those books every once and a while, you'd notice more important things," came a deep, arrogant voice from above her.

Rose squinted up. And up and up and up.

Oh. Jimmy Stone. Town heart-throb and all around git. He was good-looking, she'd give him that, but that's about where his appeal stopped. He was manipulative, boorish and he made her uncomfortable.

"Mickey, help the girl up," snapped Jimmy. His ever-present sidekick Mickey (the idiot, Rose often added in her head) scrambled to help Rose to her feet. Mickey seemed nice enough when he wasn't around Jimmy (which wasn't very often) but he didn't often act like he could think for himself.

"More important things like what?" Rose asked, reaching over to pluck her slightly muddy book from Mickey's hands before he could do something like pull out a page.

"Like me," Jimmy said, grinning at her with what she presumed he thought was a charming smile. She thought it just made him look even more like a snake.

"Ah," Rose responded, noncommittally.

Non-plussed by her response, Jimmy wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders and she was forced to sort of plod along beside him. "What do you say you and I take a stroll over to the tavern and I can show you my latest song?"

Rose wasn't sure exactly what Jimmy did besides play guitar in the local pub band and sleep his way through all the girls in town, but she didn't think it was probably very good.

"Thanks but I've got to get back to my father -" she began.

"That old coot?" snickered Jimmy, looking over at Mickey who then suddenly laughed. He wasn't sure what they were laughing about but it was generally a good idea to laugh when Jimmy laughed.

"Oi! Don't talk about my father that way!' Rose snapped.

Jimmy elbowed Mickey hard in the ribs. "Yeah! Don't talk about her father that way!" he said with far too much bravado. Rose rolled her eyes and, taking advantage of his distraction, dodged out from under Jimmy's arm.

"Well, gotta go," she said, starting off.

Jimmy's arm shot out and took ahold of her wrist with more force than she thought was needed. "I'm playing a show tonight at the pub. You'll be there?" he said, the last part more of a statement than a question.

"We'll see," Rose answered and, with one last eye-locked expression, Jimmy eased his grip on Rose's arm and she fled off in the direction of her house.

Watching her raptly as she disappeared around a corner, Jimmy turned to Mickey. "She'd better be there tonight," he said.

"Why do you want her?" Mickey asked. He felt a little uncomfortable with Jimmy's fixation on Rose and, really, he'd always fancied her a bit himself. "You could have any girl in town."

"She's gorgeous. And I have had practically every girl in town," he said, gloating. She, however, is a challenge. And you know how much I like a Challenge," Jimmy said, licking his lips. and missing Mickey's slight shudder.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

Rose found Pete in the basement, on his back, underneath something that she thought must be his newest invention. She smiled at the familiar sight. He probably had those ridiculous goggles on, the ones that made his eyes look five times their normal size. And perhaps that funny blinking torch on his head. Pete heard her enter and scooted out from underneath the contraption.

"Hello, sweetheart!" he said, standing up to greet her. Goggles and torch. Two for two, Rose thought, smiling.

"Hi, Dad! How's it going?" she asked, poking at the machine.

"Can't get the stupid thing to function properly. Don't know how it's going to be ready by tomorrow," he said, kicking the machine, which only served to make a bit that probably wasn't supposed to fall off fall off and give him a sore toe.

"C'mon, Dad. You'll get it working. I know you will. The Vitex Water Purifying Machine will take the world by storm," Rose said, elbowing him and grinning.

"D'you really think so?" he asked, peering up at her through those funny goggles.

"I know so!" she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Well," Pete blustered, settling himself back under the machine. "Best get back to work then! I've got to leave for the invention fair tonight if I want to make it by tomorrow morning."

Rose settled herself on his workbench, handing him tools when he asked for them and reading in her book. After a while, she finally put down her book and spoke out loud again.

"Dad...d'you think I'm odd?" she asked.

Pete shot out from under his invention, goggles, torch and all. "My daughter, odd? Where did you get an idea like that?"

Rose fidgeted with the strings on her blue and white hoodie. "It's just...you know. People talk," she said, quietly.

"They talk about me too," Pete answered, taking off his headgear and sitting beside her. "You're not odd, Rose. Our family is perfectly normal! Well, except your uncle Mort. He spent the last few years of his life swearing that Grandad's ghost came back and spoke to him on a daily basis. But, besides that - perfectly normal. But you're your mother's daughter, Rose," he continued, taking her cheek in his hand. "And let me tell you, she was a force to be reckoned with. She did her own thing, that's for sure."

"So I should just accept that I'm not like everybody else?" Rose asked.

"Rose, you were meant for more than this life," Pete said, looking away from her down at his hands. "You're meant travelling and adventure, not beans on toast every night. And I'm sorry I haven't been about to give it to you the past few years. I've let you down," he said.

"It's all right, Dad," she said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "I'm proud of you. I love your inventions and your brilliant ideas. And one of these days, your invention's going to show the world just what the Tylers have got and we'll get out of here, travel like we used to, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, blinking back a few tears. "So! Let's see what the old girl's got!"

Pete jumped up and pulled a large, shiny lever. The machine bubbled and burbled and fizzed and then, slowly but surely, the green, brackish water in the containment tank became clear and pure.

"It works!" Pete yelled, picking Rose up around the waist and swinging her.

"It works!" she yelled back, grinning like a maniac with him.

"Off to that fair, then!" he said, overjoyed. Rose helped him pack the machine up carefully and find his overcoat and gloves.

"One more thing before you go," she said, smiling at him. "I made you something for your trip!" Rose dashed off to her room and returned with a long multi-colored scarf.

"Better not let the ladies in town find out you've been knitting, Rose," Pete smiled mischievously back at her. "They'll start to think you're becoming Normal."

"Ha-ha," she said, sticking her tongue out at him and shoving him toward the door. "Off you go then!"

"I'm going, I'm going," he laughed. "Oh, and Rose?" he said, sticking his head back in the door.

"Yes, Dad?" Rose responded, patiently.

"Don't just sit at home reading while you're waiting for me to get back, ok? Go out and do something fun...go down to the pub or take a walk. I noticed that Jimmy fellow's been hanging around lately," he said, trying to read her on that. He wasn't sure he liked the look of that man but Rose needed to make some friends other than Dickens and Shakespeare. "Do it for me?"

"I'll think about it," Rose answered and kissed him on the cheek. Rose watched him set jauntily off through the woods and stood there until his off-key whistling faded away into nothing.

She walked back inside and prepared to settle down with her book by the fire but her father's words kept coming back to her. Maybe she should go down to the pub tonight, even just for a little fresh air and a new scene. Sure. Ok. She could do that.

But it didn't mean she couldn't take her book with her.

Rose changed into a flattering jumper and walked into town, settling at a table off to the side in the back where no one would disturb her. Jimmy's band was already playing when she got there and the pub was filled with screaming, adoring fangirls. Rose shook her head. More bosom than brains, the lot of them.

Jimmy's eyes scanned the crowd again, taking stock of the fawning women and picking up his second-choice for the evening. His first choice had apparently had the utter audacity not to show up. And then he watched as Rose slipped in the door, shyly waving to a few people and settling in a table at the back. His lips curled into a dangerous grin. He knew she would cave. Time then, to be Mr. Impressive.

Calling out the next song, the final one for the evening, Jimmy set into a raucous, rather obscene number that expounded on his own personal sexual prowess, shaking his hips and moving his hands in ways that had the first three rows of women practically throwing their knickers on the stage at him. Triumphantly looking back toward Rose's table, expecting to see eyes of lust-filled adulation, he nearly stumbled on his lyrics.

She was reading.

She wasn't watching the stage at all.

Reading.

At the end of the song, she looked up, surprised at the sudden lack of annoying din and clapped politely along with the rest of the crowd. Well, that had been an entire waste of an evening. But, she'd made an appearance and it would please her father to know that she'd gone. Rose slipped out the side door, nose back in her book, squinting at the pages in the dim light provided by the single light in this alley. Just two more pages and she'd finally be at chapter three.

Jimmy lept off the stage at the end of his performance, shoving his guitar at Mickey and telling him to tear down and fought his way through the crowd, searching for Rose. He watched as she went through the side door. Oh, perfect.

He found her in the alley, huddled over by the crappy light, with that stupid book in her hands again. Walking directly over to her, he tore it from her hands and threw it onto the ground.

"Hello, Rose," he said, smiling that oily smile at her and placing his hands on either side of her head. "You came."

"I did," Rose said, uncertainly, trying to duck under his arm. "And now I'm leaving." She could smell the alcohol on his breath and he was far too close for comfort..

"Oh, I don't think so. Not yet," Jimmy said, suddenly surging forward and pinning her against the wall with his body, using one of his hands to pin hers above her head. "I just did a spectacular show. And I think I deserve something for it, don't you?" he said, leaning in so his lips were just inches from hers.

"Let go of me!" she cried, struggling in his grip.

"A fighter, are we?" he said, lowering his head to her neck and breathing in deeply. "I like those." And with that, he ground his hips into her and fiercely attacked her lips. Rose struggled under him but couldn't escape his aggressive onslaught as the hand not pinning hers began to roam under her jumper.

Suddenly the doorway to the pub opened with a bang and Jimmy, surprised, loosened his grip for a moment. Rose took advantage of his surprise to wretch her hands from his and brought her knee squarely up into his groin.

"Jimmy, I wasn't sure which one of the cables led into the amp -" Mickey began and then trailed off, looking at the doubled over, swearing Jimmy and the petrified Rose. With tears in her eyes, Rose took off out of the alley as fast as she could. When he finally could, Jimmy said a few more choice words, spat in the street after her and straightened.

Who the hell did Rose Tyler think she was? She had tangled with the wrong man. No one said no to Jimmy Stone. No one.

Jimmy reached out and took hold of Mickey, slamming him against the wall, holding his shirt. "Make no mistake about it, Mickey. I WILL have Rose Tyler," he said releasing his hold so Mickey crumpled to the ground. Striding forward and bending to pick up Rose's battered book, Jimmy stalked back into the pub.

Rose Tyler would be his if it was the last thing he did.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

Rose cried herself to sleep that night and deadbolted the door. She wished her father was home. He'd know what to do. Why hadn't she just gone with him to that stupid fair? He was likely to get lost anyway...he was rubbish at maps.

The next morning she awoke not feeling much better. What was she going to do? She couldn't go into town...she might see Jimmy and who knows what stories he'd spread about her already. And she'd left her book in that alley.

Rose walked out into her front yard and settled under a tree. Maybe she could start off into the forest after her father. Surely it wouldn't take too long to find the fair and then they could come back together. And maybe she could convince him to leave this town altogether now. But strange stories came out of that forest, she shuddered. Stories of things that went in and never came out. Of huge, terrifying flying monsters with razor sharp teeth. Of mysterious blue boxes and tricks of time. All nonsense, of course, but frightening nonetheless.

Rose was startled from her musings by a figure appearing beside her and blocking her sunlight. She jumped to her feet, tensed and ready to run back into the house but instead of seeing Jimmy, it was merely Mickey.

"Oh. Hello, Mickey," she sighed, turning from him.

"Hi, Rose," he said, softly. "I...I just wanted to make sure you were ok," Mickey said after an awkward pause.

"Jimmy send you?" Rose asked harshly.

"N-n-no," Mickey stuttered. "He probably wouldn't like me being here, actually," he responded, looking a bit fearful. Rose lifted her eyes to look at him properly at that. Mickey had disobeyed Jimmy? And come to see if she was all right? Maybe there was hope for him after all. She was about to thank him when she caught sight of a long, multi-colored scarf hanging from his pocket.

She reached out and grabbed it, making Mickey stumble back in surprise.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, insistently.

Mickey stepped back from her sudden aggressiveness. "I found it," he said, defensively.

"Found it where?" Rose demanded.

"In the woods," Mickey shuddered. "Jimmy made me go in as punishment for -" he stopped, abruptly. 'For disrupting him in the alley,' he finished silently. He was secretly glad he had, even if Jimmy had made him go into the woods for it.

"That's my father's scarf! He must be lost. You have to take me there!" Rose cried, shaking his shoulders.

"I can't!" Mickey responded, backing away from her and putting his head in his hands. "I can't go back in there! It's dark and scary and there are monsters!"

"You've got to!" Rose said and she looked so distraught he almost caved. But he was, after all, a coward.

"I can't," he responded and then turned on his heel and took off toward the village.

Rose stared after him for a moment and then looked down at the torn scarf in her hands. "Then I'll find him myself," she said, quietly.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~


	2. Bittersweet and Strange

Pete was merrily wandering through the forest, whistling to himself when he passed a large, gnarled oak tree. He took no notice of it until he passed it a second time. And then a third. On the fourth pass, he sat down his invention and his torch and took out the map Rose had very carefully tucked away in his coat pocket.

Oh.

He was, most certainly, Lost.

And this one _deserved_ the capital letter, he thought.

Turning the map about in his hands a few times, he rediscovered what he'd always known. He was completely rubbish at maps. Why hadn't he just asked Rose to come along? But then, she deserved to have a life outside of him. Why should she follow an old man around through the woods off to silly invention fairs when she could be out having fun with young people her own age? It was about time she met a nice fellow.

He had two paths in front of him and it was time to choose. Well, he'd been going left all evening. Perhaps going right might change his luck. He settled his coat further around his shoulders and set off in that direction, ignoring the slight shiver that passed through him, making his skin crawl as he crossed the roots of that old oak. His scarf caught on one of the branches, and he tugged and pulled but he could not free it. With a heavy sigh, he unwound it from his neck and let it fall. He'd have to apologize to Rose for losing it.

As he walked forward, he decided maybe right had not been a good decision. The air felt strange here, stagnant, almost, like Time had just stopped moving. To make matters worse, the instant he had stepped past that tree, rain had immediately begun to pour down on him mercilessly. Pete turned around to exit but found himself facing a solid wall of thorny plants that had decidedly NOT been there a second ago. His palms began to sweat and his nerves began to jangle. Something was wrong.

Just then, above him, he heard a loud shriek. Looking up, terrified, he saw a huge monstrosity hovering over him. It looked to him like one of those creatures Rose read about in her books. Brown and terrifying, large leathery wings, blood red eyes and gnashing teeth. He dropped his invention and took off through the woods. He could hear the monster crashing through the brush above him. Another cry echoed out, chilling his blood and he turned around and fumbled backward as another flying reptile appeared beside the first. His back hit something solid and he turned to see that he was pressed against a hard, wooden door.

A door to a blue box of some kind.

A blue box in the middle of the woods. How odd.

How lucky. Maybe it would slow them down.

He pounded on the door just as one of the creatures swooped down at him knocking the hat right off his head and, to his enormous relief, it swung open. He fell inside, slammed the door shut and collapsed on the ground, shaking with fright. Any moment now, those horrendous creatures were going to tear apart this measly wooden box and he would be a goner. Poor Rose.

He waited and waited for the shrieking and the tearing that would signal the end of his life but to his utter surprise, it never came. Once he had his facilities back, he stood, expecting to be inside a small, wooden box. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next.

He was standing in the grand entrance hall of what appeared to be an enormous gothic castle. Pete had to suppress the urge to stick his head back outside the door and walk around the blue box to make sure what he was seeing was real. An angry shriek echoed to his ears. Monsters out there, right.

But how could this be? It had to be...well...bigger on the inside, he supposed. Maybe he had died after all and this was some strange purgatory or something.

The hall was dark and dreary and covered in what appeared to be a thick layer of dust. In here, the atmosphere felt similar to the outside, stagnant and still as though time had simply passed on and forgotten about this morose place.

"Hello?" called Pete tentatively, his voice echoing around the empty hall ominously. Even the sound of the water dripping from his coat seemed unbearably loud. He thought perhaps he heard whispers somewhere in the room, but it could just be his mind playing tricks on him.

"Is someone there?" he called again.

"Not a word, Jack. Not one word," muttered a muted Welsh accent.

"I've lost my way and there were some great...well..._things_ out there and I need somewhere to stay tonight..." Pete continued, peering around looking for the someone, anyone.

"Have a heart, Ianto," replied a low, American voice.

"Jack -" threatened the first voice again.

"Of course! You're welcome here!" blustered the second voice and, quite suddenly, a tall, figure Pete had thought was a suit of armor stepped out of the darkness.

Pete's hand flew over his heart and the good-looking man wrapped his arm around Pete's shoulders. "This way! We'll get you fixed up," he said cheerfully, as though this strange, morbid castle-inside-a-box was a Holiday Inn.

"Oh now, you've done it," the curt Welsh accent continued as another man stepped from the shadows. This one was dressed in an immaculate, expensive looking suit and wore a disapproving frown.

Pete gaped at him. "What?" Ianto snapped.

"I, um...I beg your pardon," Pete said, politely, craning his neck over to look at both of them. "It's just...I've never seen a castle inside a box - achoo!" he sneezed loudly, directly onto the severe (and now damp) Welshman which made Jack snicker.

"Aw, c'mon! You're as cold as ice!" Jack said, steering him through the foyer with a tight grip around his shoulders. "Let's get you by the fire."

"You've a fire in here?" Pete asked.

"Yep!" Jack replied with a grin. "This is not an ordinary wooden box, as you might have guessed already."

"No! No, no, no!" Ianto said, ineffectually as he followed Jack and Pete through the room. "_He's_ not going to like this, Jack."

Unbeknownst to the three of them, a tall, imposing figure appeared at the top of the huge staircase, watching and waiting.

Jack chattered away at Pete, taking his soaking coat from him and laying it on the floor in front of the roaring fire. "Have a seat. I'll see about getting you some tea. Our housekeeper makes the best tea in the galaxy."

"Not the Doctor's chair!" Ianto wailed as Pete settled himself into the armchair. "Oh, I am not seeing this."

Jack settled a blanket over Pete's lap and proceeded to start flirting with the poor baffled man. They were quickly followed into the room by a metallic dog, who instantly rolled right up to Pete's feet and demanded attention.

"All right! This has gone far enough! I'm in charge here -" Ianto began but was suddenly pushed out of the way by a blonde tornado.

"Oi! You two! You didn't tell me we had a guest! Shame on the both of you!" the woman blustered and even Jack cowed a bit under her fierce gaze. "Now you," she said, turning to Pete. "Oh! A looker, you are," she said, smiling coyly at him, making Jack sputter with laughter. "Would you like some tea?"

"I, um, yes. That would be wonderful," Pete stammered. This imposing firecracker of a woman reminded him so painfully of Rose's mother he could barely manage a sentence to her.

"Jackie's the name," she continued, having been pouring him his tea without even waiting for his response. "And these two blighters are Jack," the good-looking man in the great coat winked cheekily at him "and Ianto," the disapproving Welshman sniffed.

Pete took a long swig of tea and was just working the courage up to respond to Jackie when the the door to the room banged open and air shifted dramatically. The fire blew out and it instantly grew icy cold.

"There's a stranger here. In my TARDIS," came a low, dangerous voice from somewhere behind his chair. That voice seemed to hold within it lightening and thunder, the rage of a hurricane, the force of a storm.

Jack, Ianto and even Jackie immediately looked down at their feet.

"Allow me to explain, Doc -" Jack began just as Ianto started to stammer "It's not my fault, Sir -"

"Shut up," the dangerous voice practically growled and Jack and Ianto recoiled. Pete could hear footsteps prowling closer.

Pete, shivering, looked over his shoulder and suddenly found himself face to face with the source of the voice that seemed even more terrifying than the monsters outside had been. It was a tall man dressed in dark colors, clad in a heavy leather jacket. His severe, close-cropped haircut only highlighted his equally severe features. A heavy jawline, a large nose and larger ears and feral eyes of icy blue that were designed to cut a person right through. A large jagged scar ran along the side of his face and everything in Pete screamed at him to run.

"How the hell did you get in here? What do you want?" the man snarled, picking Pete up by his collar and lifting him up off the ground.

"I, I...I'm sorry. I was lost and there were these terrible monsters -"

"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" he shouted suddenly, pinning Pete against the wall.

"I'm sorry!" Pete whimpered. "I just needed a place to stay -"

The dark eyes millimeters from his own flashed angrily. "Oh, I'll give you a place to stay," came the grated response and suddenly Pete was unconscious.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

Rose clutched her hoodie tighter around her and walked further into the woods searching for some sign of her Pete was nowhere to be found. She'd left shortly after running into Mickey, which meant her father had been missing all night. Where could he be?

Frustrated and tired, she sank to the ground beneath a large oak tree. She closed her eyes and blinked back tears, then dashed her hands across her cheeks. Tyler women didn't cry. As her hand retreated from her face, it brushed against something soft in the branches. She looked up and saw a piece of scarf that matched the one in her pocket! A clue! He must have gone this way!

She quickly stood and, ignoring the strange shudder around her, set off down the dark, dreary path to the right of the oak. Following the winding, thorny path, she eventually stumbled onto her father's cart. Her heart broke just a bit more...he never would have abandoned his invention except in the most dire of circumstances. Somewhere not too far away she heard a screech and she looked up to see the clouds threatening heavy rain. Tightening her grip on the scarf in her pocket, she continued on the narrow path.

The screech sounded again, closer this time, and she forged ahead, just catching sight of a flash of blue close by. Intrigued, she followed the sight, breaking into a run when she saw her father's hat lying on the ground in front of a strange blue box.

What was a great wooden box doing in the middle of the woods? Perhaps some of the old legends were true. Taking a deep breath, she pushed on the door. It swung open easily, as if she had been expected, almost. Rose stepped inside.

And then immediately ran out and around the box before entering again.

It was bigger on the inside.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

In the hearth room, Ianto was pacing back and forth, watched by a lounging Jack.

"Couldn't keep quiet, could we?" he snapped at Jack, in full Ianto-lecture mode. "Had to invite him in, give him tea, sit in the Doctor's chair, pet the tin dog.."

"Aww lay off, Ianto. I was just trying to be friendly," Jack replied.

"Yes, friendly. Isn't being 'friendly' what landed you here in the first place?" Ianto said with a withering stare.

"Jealous?" Jack shot back.

"Hardly," Ianto snorted. "It's your fault your inappropriate behaviour has kept you from progressing in this career."

"Oh yeah? And what's your excuse?" retorted Jack.

Meanwhile back in the entrance hall, Rose called out tentatively "Hello? Is anyone there? Dad?" she called as she walked through the mysterious room and up the once grand staircase. She wandered through the seemingly endless halls, searching for Pete and marvelling at the hidden majesty of the wonder surrounding her.

She didn't notice as a small robotic dog crossed behind her and then suddenly sped out of the room.

"Mistress!" K-9 called, rolling into the kitchen where Jackie was sitting at the table reading a decades-old Star Inquirer, muttering to herself.

"Bloody Time Lord. Didn't even know we HAD a dungeon and now's he's gone and hidden it. First new face in YEARS and he's locked him away. Not the man he used to be, that's for certain."

"Mistress!" repeated the electronic voice.

"Oh, what now?" Jackie said, rolling her eyes at the tin dog. "Ears need oiled again? Go bug Jack, ya daft bugger," she said.

"The condition of my external auditory apparatuses is not the reason for my call, Mistress," the dog continued. "I wished to inform you that another being has entered the Time lock and the TARDIS. Species: homo sapien. Gender: female. Age: 19 Terra-years."

"There's a girl in the TARDIS?" Jackie gaped at him. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" She scrambled to her feet. "JACK! IANTO!" she bellowed in a voice that would wake the dead.

"Mistress might want to inquire about the status of my external auditory apparatuses now," grumbled K-9.

"Oi! No sass from you, Fido," Jackie retorted, blustering from the room to find the men.

Back in the hearth room, Jack and Ianto were in full out insult mode.

"Captain cheesecake," taunted Ianto.

"Stick-up-your-butt," retorted Jack with an eyebrow raise.

"Time Agent wanna-be-" began Ianto cut off by a sudden female voice.

"Dad? Dad?" Rose called, walking past them.

"Did you see that?" Jack breathed. They both stuck their heads comically around the door jam and watched Rose's figure retreat down the hall, still calling for her father. "It's a GIRL!" Jack said, his mouth still open.

"I KNOW it's a girl," Ianto replied, irritated.

"But the TARDIS must have let her in! Maybe she can help break the Time lock! It can't be a coincidence!" Jack said, taking off down the hall after her.

"Wait a minute!" Ianto cried at Jack's retreating back. Just as Jack had almost reached her, Ianto grabbed his shoulder and drug him into the closest room, the door creaking loudly.

"Hello?" Rose asked, slowly turning around and seeing a door propped open. She walked over and pushed it open the rest of the way, trapping the two men behind the door. In front of her was a large, ominous descending stone staircase. As Rose looked at it, suddenly the walls all along the stairs lit up. Taking a deep breath, Rose followed the lights into the bowels of the castle.

"Ianto, we've got to stop meeting like this," Jack breathed into the Welshman's ear, wriggling his hips against the bits pressed up against him behind the door.

"Shut it, Jack," Ianto replied, pushing the door open so hard it slammed shut once again. Jack just chuckled.

"You've got to lighten up," he said, laughing still and then sobering suddenly as they followed the girl down the stairs.

"Looks like we found the dungeon after all," Ianto said, grimly.

"Why do you even have a dungeon, old girl?" Jack asked, running his hand along the wall. There was no reply in his head as there used to be, just perhaps a tired, apathetic sigh. "He made you put it there, didn't he? Don't worry. We'll get through this," Jack replied, caressing the wall as he walked.

They retreated into the shadows to watch Rose.

"Dad!" she cried, falling to the floor in front of one of the dingy cells, reaching out to touch Pete's hand through the bars.

"Rose! How did you find me?" he sputtered. It was freezing cold down here. "Listen to me, Rose," he started and then coughed.

"Who's done this to you?" Rose asked, incensed. Someone deserved a slap and an earfull. She'd get him out of this.

"No time to explain. You've got to get out of here. Now," he said, desperately.

"I won't leave you!" Rose vehemently cried, focused so much on Pete she didn't notice when another figure entered the room.

"What are you doing here?" a cold voice asked, reaching out and turning her shoulder before letting go and suddenly retreating into the darkness.

"Who's there?" Rose asked, scrambling back against the door of her father's cell.

"Run, Rose!" Pete yelled.

"Who are you?" Rose continued, defiantly.

"I'm the Doctor. And this is my ship," the cold voice growled.

"I've come for my father," Rose said, trying to act more confident than she felt, turning to face her faceless accuser. "He's sick and he needs to get home - "

"Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!" roared the voice and Rose thought she caught a flash of angry eyes glistening in the darkness. And what did he mean 'ship'?

"He could die here! Please! I'll do anything!" Rose pleaded.

"There's nothing you can do. The Time Lock has already adjusted to another lifeform," the voice continued, muffling as it turned away from her. "He's a prisoner of Time now." Heavy footsteps began to retreat over the cold stone.

"There must be something I can do...wait!" Rose cried. "Take..." she looked over at Pete's form shivering against the bars and moved into the light, shifting her hood off her head. "Take me instead," she said, quietly.

"You," the voice snorted derisively. Then, in a slightly softer tone, it echoed, "You would take his place?"

"If I did," Rose said, her voice growing stronger, "would you let him go?"

"Rose, no -" Pete began but the mysterious voice cut him off.

"Yes," it said, quickly. "But you must promise to stay here forever. The Time Lock has adjusted to add a lifeform but hasn't singled out his genetic code yet so a trade-off is still a viable option."

Rose wasn't sure what any of that scientific mumbo-jumbo meant but she did understand the inherent implication. "Come...come into the light," she said, tentatively.

She watched carefully as one large, booted foot stepped into the light followed by the other, revealing the tall, imposing, taut line of the broken, angry Time Lord. Her hazel eyes traced up his stern face and over his scar then locked with cold, stormy ones and she gasped and staggered back. It seemed as though all of Time and Space echoed out at her through those terrifying eyes and she was forced to close hers against the onslaught.

"No, Rose! I won't let you do this!" Pete cried, grasping for Rose's shoulders through the bars.

Rose stepped forward into the light and once again met the ice-blue gaze. "You have my word," she said.

"Done," the Time Lord snarled, pushing past her toward the cell door. Rose fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands. What had she done?

"No! Rose! Rose!" Pete cried as the horrible man in the leather jacket drug him out from the cell by his still-damp coat.

"Wait!" Rose cried, watching helpless as Pete disappeared up the stairs behind the Time Lord, still reaching back for her.

"I know you're there, you two. Jack, see that he gets to the edge of the Temporal space quickly before the Time Lock adjusts again. And protect him from the Reapers until he's out," the Doctor said, pushing the older man into Jack's grasp. "And make sure he doesn't come back in," he said, up to the ceiling. The air around them hummed with the slightest hint of disapproval "That's an order."

The Doctor turned away to go back down the stairs toward the girl and ran directly into Ianto who coughed. "Doctor, sir -" he began.

"What?" the Doctor snarled back at him.

"Since, ahem, since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time now...I thought we might offer her a more comfortable room..."

The Doctor growled at him and shoved past.

"Or not," Ianto sighed.

He found the girl in the same spot he had left her, curled up on the stone floor crying. Oh good, Just what he needed. Another emotional, stupid ape mucking about in his TARDIS.

She lifted her chin at him when she heard his boots echo on the stones. "You didn't even let me say goodbye!" she challenged, her eyes red and tear-filled. "I'll never get to see him again and I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

The Doctor was taken aback both at her defiant nature and at her comment. He hadn't even considered that. It had been so long since he'd had anyone he cared about enough to miss like that...

"I..." he shifted uncomfortably. "I'll show you to your room," he said in a low voice.

"My room? But I thought - "

"D'you want to stay here in the dungeon?" he asked, his mood swinging to angry in an instant. Why had he even made the TARDIS create this stupid room?

"No," Rose replied, quickly.

"Then follow me," he growled once again and, turning on his heel, quickly left the horrid room behind.

They walked in silence through the halls with Rose trailing behind, struggling to keep up with his long strides. She glanced around surreptitiously as they walked, taking in the odd decor. The atmosphere in this place felt strange, dormant but alive almost. Overwhelmed again, she quietly began to cry once more.

The Doctor could smell the sudden tang of salt in the air from her tears and heard the slight sniffle she was trying to conceal. Culture shock, he thought. Say something. He should say something to her. "I, uh, I hope you'll like it here," he tried.

Her eyes shifted up briefly to meet his. Progress.

Wait. Why did he feel he needed this chit of a girl's approval?

"This your home now so you're free to go where she'll let you." He left Rose to ponder that for a moment. "Except the West Wing," he added as an afterthought to both Rose and the TARDIS.

"Why?" Rose asked, instantly curious despite herself. "What's in the West Wing?"

Oh, damn. Why did he have to go and say that? If there was anything he'd learned about humans in 900 plus years it was whatever you told them NOT to do was the first thing they tried.

"It's forbidden!" he snapped.

Oh, great. There you go again, idiot Time Lord. Use the 'f' word. Now that's all she'll want to do.

"You can use this room," he said, opening the door to a nondescript one as far away from the his as he could get. Of course, with the way his meddlesome TARDIS shifted corridors, there was no guarantee it would stay that way. "If you need anything, my servants will attend to you."

Rose peered inside and took in the meager room, stepping over the threshold. The Time Lord lingered at the door, unsure why exactly he was lingering. Oh, right. Food. Silly little apes, even Time-locked ones, needed to eat.

"You will join me for dinner," he said, stiffly.

Rose's back stiffened at his order.

"And that's not a request," he finished, slamming the door behind her. Stupid human might brood in there all evening and he wasn't taking care of her if she made herself sick by starving.

Rose ran forward and collapsed on the drab twin bed, burying her face in the duvet, tears overtaking her again.

His words echoed in her mind. _"This is your home now."_

Home.

Yes, she'd chosen to stay here in her father's stead. But she didn't deserved to be locked up and shut away like this, a prisoner here. He was a monster, that cold-eyed bastard.

Home.

Ever since she'd been a small child, Pete had striven to make sure they were safe, healthy and happy. Wherever they were: in London, on the road or even here in France, as long as they were together, they were home. Home was full of light and laughter and love. Home wasn't this dark, cold castle-in-a-box lorded over by madman.

Was that her fate now? To try and find something good in this tragic place? In that tragic man? To make this her new home?

No. This would never be her home.

Pete had been right. What was it he always said? "Home is where the heart is.'

And her heart was far away.

Home was too.

She fell into a light doze against the duvet, hands clutching the fabric and tears staining her face.

He could lock her away in this bizarre box of his for the rest of her life, but he'd never chain her heart. It was wild and free and far, far away from here and it would stay that way.

Forever.


	3. Barely Even Friends

In the local pub, Jimmy Stone was in quite a black mood. He was sitting in his usual booth and had already had...well...quite a few pints. Mickey sat beside him miserably, trying not to think about the fact that he hadn't seen Rose around at all since he'd run away from her yesterday morning.

"Who does that girl think she is?" Jimmy growled suddenly, slamming his fist on the table. "Stupid slag. No one says no to me!"

"More beer?" Mickey asked tentatively, holding out a fresh pint, trying to distract him.

Jimmy grabbed it from him, took a swig and then smashed it down on the table, shattering the mug. "What for? Nothing helps. This sucks," he slurred.

"Jimmy, you've got to pull yourself together!" Mickey said after a pause. He wasn't used to seeing Jimmy like this. "C'mon! Every guy here'd love to be you! You got looks, girls, guitar skills..."

Jimmy turned away. "Shut it, Mickey."

"No, seriously! You're the biggest guy in town! You've got muscles and great hair and you can drink just about anybody under the table!"

"Yeah, I suppose I am pretty great," Jimmy said, staggering up.

"That's more like it!" Mickey said, slapping him on the back which Jimmy responded to by shoving Mickey back into the booth. Sighing heavily, Mickey watched as he walked away. Maybe now Jimmy would forget about Rose...

The arrogant drunk sauntered over to the bar and Mickey watched as girls immediately flooded over to him. Just then, the door the pub burst open and a harried, snow-swept, wild-eyed Pete stumbled in.

"Hurry! Hurry! There's no time to lose!" he shouted, stumbling into the nearest table and grabbing the man there by the shoulders.

"Pete?" called the bartender, raising his eyebrow skeptically. What did the crazy old man want now?"

"He's got her locked in the dungeon! We have to go!" Pete mumbled, staggering to another patron and tugging on his shirt.

"Who?" Mickey asked from the corner.

"ROSE!" Pete shouted, turning wild eyes in his direction and waving his hands above his head. Jimmy raised his head from the bar.

"Whoa, whoa," Jimmy said, gathering himself enough equilibrium to saunter over to Pete. "Who's got Rose locked away in a dungeon?"

"A...a...horrible beast of a man! A terrible man in a blue box in the woods!"

There was silence for a moment and then someone near the door let out a snicker which led into a chorus of laughter from the entire bar. Pete lowered his hands and looked confused.

One of the men walked over and put his arm around Pete. "Was it a big box?" he asked.

"No! Well, yes! Yes and no! It was bigger on the inside!" Pete stammered.

Another man joined the first on Pete's other side. "And this man? Hideously ugly?"

"Yes!" Pete shouted. "Terrifying eyes and a huge scar on his cheek."

A third came snuck up behind them. "Were there big scary monsters in the forest, too?" he asked.

"Yes!" the poor befuddled man cried. "Brown leathery ones...dragons with huge red eyes!"

The whole bar roared with laughter again. "Will you help me?" Pete cried, shoved over right in front of Jimmy by one of the men.

"Sure, we'll help you OUT, old man," Jimmy said and Mickey cringed and looked away.

"You will?" Pete asked as Jimmy took hold of his coat and led him roughly to the door. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" he said and then Jimmy pulled the door open and shoved Pete down into the snow outside, slamming the door behind him as the cruel laughter from inside shouted forth.

"Crazy old Pete," snorted the bartender, turning back to his wares and pulling Jimmy another beer.

Jimmy snagged the beer and walked back over to the booth where Mickey was still sitting. "Crazy old Pete," he muttered to himself, sliding in. "Crazy old Pete. Mickey, I'm afraid I've been Thinking."

"A dangerous pastime," Mickey replied, surprised. Usually Jimmy did everything in his power to avoid Thinking.

"I know," Jimmy interrupted. "But that looney man is Rose's father...and I swore I would have Rose." Mickey shivered at that again. "Now...I'm coming up with a plan," he said, pulling Mickey in close and sharing his dastardly deed of deception.

Outside, still laying in the snow in the square, Pete turned his eyes up to the stars. "Will no one help me?" he cried, as the snow swirled around him and fell, uncaring to the ground. When no answer came from the heavens, he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Fine," he said, standing up and brushing off his trousers. "Then I'll go back and rescue her myself."

~~~~~ o)-}- ~~~~~

Meanwhile, miles away in the castle-in-a-box in the middle of the woods, Rose was still crying to herself on her drab bedspread when a light knock came to her door.

"Who, who is it?" she managed, wiping a sleeve across her face in an attempt to clear up her surely smudged mascara.

"Jackie, darling," a female voice called from the hall.

"Come in," Rose said, sniffling.

A middle-aged bottle-blonde in a pink velour tracksuit entered the room carrying a tray of tea followed by what appeared to be a robotic dog of some sort. "Thought you might like a spot of tea. Nothing like a spot of tea to make the day a little brighter," she said, her voice soft as she looked at the young girl in front of her.

Jackie poured a cuppa and handed to the girl. "Did I not tell you her physical appearance was one that most humans would find aesthetically pleasing?" came a robotic voice, making Rose start and look in shock down at the dog.

"But...but...that's impossible!" Rose exclaimed, dropping to her knees in front of the dog.

"He certainly is that," Jackie said wryly, rolling her eyes. "And yet here we are. Now stop messing with the tin menace and drink up before your tea gets cold."

Rose obeyed immediately without really thinking. This mysterious woman reminded her strongly of the few memories she had of her mother. "Thank you," she said softly, settling cross legged on the floor so she could drink her tea and still pet the strange metal casing. She didn't know if the "dog" could feel it, but he seemed to be enjoying her attentions nonetheless.

"That was a very brave thing you did," Jackie said after a moment, crossing over to sit on Rose's bed. "We all think so." The dog's ears raised and lowered in agreement.

"But I've lost my father! My dreams...everything" Rose said, sitting her cup down to pull at the carpeting.

"Cheer up, child," Jackie said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll turn out all right in the end." She stood up and collected Rose's mug and the tea tray. "I hope that we'll be friends, Rose," Jackie continued, stopping by the door. "I think if anyone can make the most of living here in this daft old box, it's you. And who knows...you may find a home here, too," she said, shutting the door softly behind her. And then immediately opening it again. "K-9! Out with you!" she bellowed, making Rose jump and then smile as the dog sped out the room.

Rose turned to back to the bed, unsure what to do next when the door burst open once again. "Well, hello there, gorgeous!" came a low whistle from the obscenely good-looking man who strode into her room.

"Who...who are you?" Rose managed to eek out. And she'd thought Jimmy was handsome. He didn't hold a candle to this man.

"Name's Jack Harkness, beautiful," he said, bowing with a flourish and reaching out to kiss her hand with a wink. Rose giggled at his over-the-top gestures and he responded with an eyebrow waggle and and brilliant grin. "And you are?"

"Rose. Rose Tyler," she said, smiling back at him shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," came a curt, clipped voice from the doorway interrupting whatever the next blushing compliment Jack had been about to give her. He ran a critical eye over the flirty American who still had a hold of Rose's hand. "Run for your life," he said, dryly.

"What?" she asked, confused, eyeing the new also extremely good-looking man in a designer suit who had just entered her room.

"Run away from that one. You don't want to get anywhere near him," Ianto said jerking his thumb at the first man and Jack rolled his eyes. "You don't know where he's been."

"Rose Tyler, meet Ianto Jones, resident wet-blanket," Jack drawled.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Ianto said, nodding politely to her then clearing his throat. "Dinner is served."

Down in the main dining hall, the Doctor was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, watched warily by Jackie and K-9.

"Why isn't she here yet? What's taking so long?" he growled, not really waiting for an answer. "I told her to come down so where is she?"

Jackie cleared her throat. "Try to be patient, Doctor. The girl's lost her father and her freedom all in one day."

The Doctor made a sound in his throat that might or might not have been a growl. He didn't do patient. Leastways, not this time around.

Narrowing her eyes, Jackie continued, "She's going to be with us for quite some time now, so it wouldn't hurt you to try and make a good impression, you know."

The pacing stopped momentarily and the Doctor stood, strangely still in the way he had, like a coiled spring. He had, miraculously, considered that.

After a long pause, he said, eventually said, very softly, "I don't know how," shocking Jackie almost to silence.

Almost.

"Well you can start by making yourself more presentable. Straighten up," she ordered and the Time Lord immediately pushed his hunched leather-clad shoulders back despite himself, drawing up to his full considerable height. "And cut out that ridiculous growling and grousing." When the Doctor said nothing, Jackie took it as a cue that she could continue but K-9 butted in.

"According to research, master, females of most species generally respond well to positive comments on their wardrobe and/or physical appearance," he chimed in.

The Doctor nodded to himself. Compliments. Ok.

Rassilon. He was getting relationship advice from a tin dog.

Hold on a tic. Relationship advice?

What the hell was wrong with him?

"But be sincere," Jackie said, knowing that both politeness and sincerity seemed to almost be an impossibility for this form of the Doctor. He'd been far more charming in his last body. Before the War, anyway. "And above all..."

"You must control your temper," Jackie and K-9 said together. The Doctor opened his mouth to make a smart-aleck reply when the door suddenly creaked open. With far more interest than he would ever admit, the Doctor spun on his heel to face it.

Only to meet Ianto's slightly trepidatious smile.

"Well? Where is she?" he growled as his hearts fell, a feeling he studiously ignored.

"Who?" the nervous man asked innocently, playing with his tie. The Doctor shot him a ice-laced glare and Ianto coughed. "Right. The girl, of course. She's...eh...she's in the process of...erm..."

"She's not coming," Jack said, barging through the door behind Ianto.

"WHAT?" the Doctor gritted out, his voice going to it's lowest, most cold. All three humans shivered. This was not good.

Without a look back, the Doctor strode from the room, his long, angry strides carrying up the stairs towards Rose's room very quickly. The humans trailed behind him, their arguing ineffectual to stop his infuriated mission.

He walked down the corridor where her room had been only to find a blank wall. Making a noise of frustration, he turned down the next, only to find it blank as well. "Cut it out," he said, slamming a fist into the wall. The lights around them flickered angrily, but the next corridor held the door to Rose's room. The Doctor pounded on the door fiercely.

"I thought I told you to come down to dinner," he shouted.

"I'm not hungry," a defiant voice came from inside.

"You're hungry if I say you're hungry!" he yelled back, his temper flaring. Infuriating, stupid human. He raised his fist to pound on the door again.

The door pulled open and he was suddenly faced with an arms-crossed, glaring Rose Tyler, leaving him glowering with a fist in the air.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, rolling her eyes. All three human servants' jaws dropped open.

"Oh, I like her," Jackie whispered to Jack. Ianto gave them both a death-glare.

"What?" the Doctor asked, incredulously. No one spoke to him that way. She...she just...and then she'd...what?

"It doesn't work like that. You can't go around ordering people to be hungry," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. He looked ridiculous standing there with his hand in the air and his mouth open. It made him less frightening.

"I can do whatever I damn well please!" he snarled.

"Besides, it's rude," Rose continued, ignoring his interruption. Jackie, Ianto and Jack watched the interaction like a tennis match whipping their heads between the two. This was the most interesting life had been in the TARDIS in a very long time.

"Rude?" he repeated, his voice raising in pitch. "Rude?"

"S'what I said, innit? Surely you can hear me with those," she said, gesturing in a vague direction toward his head.

"Oi!" he replied, turning from her and fingering his ear, surruptitiously. They weren't that bad, were they?

And hang on. Since when did he care?

He spun back to her. "Rude is it? How's this for rude? If you don't come down to dinner, I will drag you there, you stupid ape."

She recoiled from him at the last bit and he instantly wished he could take it back. "Git," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but Jack coughed quietly to his side. "Be a gentleman," he said, softly.

"But she's being so difficult," the Doctor replied. Turning back to the infuriating pink-and-yellow human, he said, "Why are you being so difficult?"

"Why are you being such a bully?" she asked.

A bully. 900 years in Time and Space and he'd never been called a bully. A lot of other things, yes, but never a bully.

"Because I want you to come to dinner!" he shouted, exasperated.

"So you admit it," Rose said smugly. "You ARE being a bully."

He snarled once again and took a step toward her but suddenly the lights in the room dimmed and then lit again. Everyone looked at the ceiling, the Doctor reeling from the sudden mental prod and command he'd received from the TARDIS. It was the first time in...well...YEARS that she'd voluntarily contacted him like that. He sighed. Well, if she wanted him to. He took a deep breath. He'd try to be polite.

"Would...would you be so kind as to join me for dinner?" he asked, in his best impression of the man he had been before. The TARDIS prodded him again. "Please," he added begrudgingly. The Doctor was so focused on Rose, he missed the incredulous looks Jackie, Ianto and Jack shared behind his back. Had they EVER heard him use that word?

"No thank you," Rose replied politely.

"FINE!" he roared, infinitely hurt at her rejection. "THEN STARVE!"

Whipping around to face Ianto, in his lowest, most dangerous voice he ordered, "If she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all," and then he stormed off in the direction of his room.

The three humans stood in silence for a few moments. "Well, that could have gone better," Ianto commented dryly.

~~~~~ o)-}- ~~~~~

Back in his room, the Doctor paced and paced, his heavy boots clanging loudly on the grating below his feet. "I asked nicely and she refused!" he muttered, absently stroking the console in front of him. "What did she want me to do? Beg?" Ha. As if a Time Lord would ever beg.

Caught up in his pacing and muttering as he was, he didn't notice that the Time Rotor, still, dark and silent for so long now, was pulsing a faint, light green.

He walked over to one of the monitors. "Show me the girl," he commanded in Gallifreyan. Rose's room instantly came up on the monitor and he stiffened when he saw Jack in the room with her, sitting on her bed. "Audio on," he said, curtly.

"I know he seems like a temperamental guy, but underneath all the leather and the grimaces, he's not such a bad guy once you get to know him," Jack was saying.

"I don't want to get to know him," Rose said fiercely. "I don't want anything to do with him."

The Doctor's hand fell away from the monitor. He'd thought for a moment there...well...she'd made him...he'd felt something. And that within itself, was a miracle.

She'd made him feel SOMETHING, even if it had been frustration and anger. It had been so long since he'd cared about anything enough to react like that...That silly little human girl seemed to light a spark somewhere deep inside him, somewhere that had been dark and forgotten for so long. And the TARDIS...she had to have something to do with the TARDIS speaking to him again. Maybe just maybe...he looked up and saw himself in the reflection of the now dark monitor.

No.

It was hopeless.

She would never see him as anything but the monster that he was.

He turned from the console and the monitor, letting the hand that had been resting on the console fall limply back to his side. As he left the room, he spared no moment to turn and look at the console. If he had, he would have watched as the small, tentative green light flickered and faded back to blackness once more.

~~~~~ o)-}- ~~~~~


	4. Both a Little Scared

Outside Rose's room, all three human servants watched the Doctor storm off into the bowels of the ship and cringed as they heard a door slam loudly.

"What were we thinking? We'll never break the Time Lock," Ianto said sadly, hanging his head.

"So it appears," Jack responded, his usual cheeky grin falling from his face.

They stood in silence, letting despair wash around them and then Jackie suddenly straightened and, just as suddenly, smacked them both upside the back of their heads. "Well what would you two have us do? Give up? I'm not giving up until himself there takes us to the nearest pleasure planet and catches me up on the last four seasons of MarsEnders."

Ianto considered her a moment. "Quite right, Jackie," he said eventually. "No sense in giving up hope. Jack, stay here and watch the door. And by here I mean out here. In the hall. By no means in her room. Or anywhere near her bed. Or dresser. Or...well, you get the idea. And inform me of the slightest change," he commanded, striding off toward the dining hall. They had a guest, after all. Perhaps he could convince the TARDIS to spruce things up a bit.

Jack gave him a mock salute. "Oui, mon Capitan!" he grated out in a perfectly terrible French accent.

Three hours later, Rose tentatively opened her bedroom door. She hadn't eaten anything all day, having set out to find Pete early in the morning and being caught up in the events of the day when she had arrived here. Looking cautiously around, she didn't see the Doctor anywhere although the American...Jack, was it? was seated outside the door, snoring to himself and mumbling something that sounded like "Oh, yes!". Rose blushed furiously. Perhaps best if she didn't bother him then. She crept past him and started down the steps.

Jack awoke with a start from his brilliant dream about that time the Doctor and he had been stuck in eighteenth century France. Madame du Pompadour had been sufficiently entranced by the velvet-clad alien who had been far more interested in moping and clockwork droids and paradoxes than dancing. Or _dancing_. Jack had been only too willing to fill in her dance card. Oh, the things he'd taught her. Men for centuries and centuries after would be thanking him, he snickered.

He realized with a start that Rose's door was propped open and a quick stick of his head inside confirmed that she wasn't in there anymore. He'd have to find her and quick. No sense in getting Ianto's feathers more ruffled than needed. Nothing on the TARDIS would harm her but it was probably best to keep her out of the Doctor's way. Of course, their interaction earlier had been quite entertaining. And that was the most fire he'd seen out of the Doctor, this Doctor. In fact, if the Doctor was a normal bloke he'd have thought...nah.

The Doctor would never been a normal bloke.

With that, he set off to find the pink-and-yellow human before she could wander into anything too jeopardy-friendly.

~~~~~ o)-}- ~~~~~

Rose walked down the stairs and trailed her hand along the banister, feeling the odd thrum she'd felt in the hall course through the wood and into her hand. It felt almost comforting to her and, if she had turned around and examined the path her hand had just taken, she would have seen that the wood where she lingered had changed. It glowed brighter and seemed healthier almost, as if it rejoiced at her very touch.

The first being Rose came across was K-9, who was puttering around the hallway near the Hearth Room.

"Good evening, mistress," he said, his little tin tail wagging at the sight of her.

"Hello, K-9!" Rose replied, crouching down near him.

"Can I be of assistance to you in some way?" his robotic voice inquired.

"Actually, I'm pretty hungry," Rose said, sheepishly.

"I will alert Ms. Prentice for you, mistress. She can bring you sustenance in your room," he replied.

"That's all right," Rose said, eager to explore now that she was out and the scary bloke in the leather was nowhere in sight. "I'll go myself."

"Master will not be pleased," K-9 warned.

Rose grinned down at him. "I know," she replied.

~~~~~ o)-}- ~~~~~

In the main dining hall, Ianto was vainly trying to cajole the unresponsive TARDIS into giving him the good silver or some placemats or least some candleholders while Jackie sat at the table filing her nails.

"I like this girl," she said, firmly. "I like her spunk!"

"Well, if you ask me, she was just being stubborn," Ianto retorted, giving up his quest for proper dinnerware. "After all, he did say 'please'."

Jackie snorted. "I don't think I've ever heard himself in the leather use that word before. Last him was all 'beg your pardon' and 'be a dear' and posh politeness, but not this fellow. Right grumpy old sod, he is."

"Be fair, Jackie," Ianto responded. "The War -"

"I know all about the War, Ianto Jones. We all do. Lived through it together, didn't we?" Jackie snapped.

"Yes we did," Ianto responded and both of them were silent for a moment. Breaking the terse moment, Ianto eventually replied, "I believe you're right about the 'please' issue, though. First time in this body."

"You see?" Jackie said with a kind smile. "She's already having a good influence on him."

Ianto returned her smile and both of them looked up as Rose entered the room. It seemed as if the TARDIS lights in the room brightened with Rose's entrance and Ianto could almost swear he felt a nudge of awareness from her, like the TARDIS had perked up and suddenly raised her head.

"Hello, dearie!" Jackie called, waving cheerily to Rose.

"IANTO!" Jack said, sprinting in the room past Rose, placing a hand on the Welshman's shoulder and bending over to pant. "The girl! She's gone! I swear I never took my eyes off -"

Jackie coughed meaningfully behind him and Jack straightened and, turning a bit, spotted Rose. He flushed slightly and then went into mega-flirt mode to cover his embarrassment. "Hello, gorgeous. Don't know how I walked past you," he flirted, reaching over to kiss her hand again. Jackie intervened and slapped his hand away

"Stop that!" Jackie chastised, all motherly protection.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Ianto asked, drawing himself up into his very best 'head of the household' stance. "Anything at all?"

"Well, I am a bit hungr-" Rose began.

"Anything but that," he interrupted flatly. The Doctor had said no food and the last thing they needed was an angry, rampaging Time Lord.

"Ianto!" Jack and Jackie chastised in unison.

"Well, you heard what the Doctor said!" he reminded them both firmly.

"Oh, pish tosh," Jackie said, waving her hand. "I'll not let the poor child go hungry!"

"Fine. Glass of water, crust of bread, then.." he started, slightly flustered, his training in guest management clashing with his training in order following.

"Ianto!" Jack started. "I'm surprised at you! Head of your class, my gorgeous, well-toned arse!" he said, winking to Rose, who giggled in response. "She's not a prisoner. She's our guest!"

K-9, who had entered the room unnoticed by the humans and who had, unlike the humans, noted that the TARDIS functionality in this room had already increased by 15.8194% and was rising in relation to proximal distance to Rose, piped up from the floor. "He is correct, master Jones. And the Advanced Household Employee Handbook, chapter 17, paragraph 3, subnote c, clearly states that the needs of a household guest -"

"Should be seen to immediately and without hesitation, including but not limited to food, drink and entertainment of the highest quality," quoted Ianto scathingly. "Fine, fine. Dinner. But keep it down. If the master finds out, it's be our necks. And don't expect a song and dance out of me," he snapped. "Beg your pardon, ma'am," he finished, nodding curtly to Rose and hurrying from the room.

Jack laughed in his wake and pumped a fist in the air. "Oh, bravo! Well done, Team TARDIS! It's been weeks since I got him to recite anything from that stupid book!"

"Jack," admonished Jackie with a quirk of a smile, moving to follow Ianto from the room. "Leave the poor man alone.

"But it's so much fun!" he teased, twirling Rose around under his arm and both women giggled. Rose swatted his arm from her shoulder and moved to sit at the impressive table.

"What would you like, dear?" called Jackie from another room. "Beef ragout? Cheese souffle? Pie and pudding en flambe? Pork? Veal? Ooo! Shephard's pie!" she continued.

"Sounds like we have a winner," Jack said, grinning over at her. "So...Ianto's busy sulking, Jackie's busy 'cooking'. Guess that leaves me for entertainment. What you would you like? Jokes? Tricks? A kickline?"

Rose giggled again and even Jack noticed how the room seemed to brighten with her joy. 30.813% noted K-9. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? Where are you from? America?"

Jack blew out a hot breath and settled in a chair across from her. "The Boeshane Penisula, actually."

"Where is that?" Rose asked, her brow wrinkling adorably. "California?"

Jack laughed and it felt wonderful. She really was a breath of fresh air, this Rose Tyler. "No...it was one of Earth's colony worlds in the Imperial Cluster, just past the Katerblue Belt."

Rose blinked at him and tried to comprehend THAT. "So...you're from outer space," she said slowly. "And...this is a spaceship?" Rose asked, remembering how the Doctor had called it his 'ship'.

"Yes. Well, space and Time ship," Jack answered, still watching her very carefully.

"Time?" squeaked Rose. "As in time-machine?" She thought of her long-time favorite library book...the one with the charming, debonair time-travelling alien and blushed furiously. "Are you an alien?" she asked finally.

"Nope. Human as human can be. We all are, actually," he said unthinkingly, referring to Ianto and Jackie. He didn't even think to mention the Doctor because if he was ever confused for a "stupid ape" as this version was fond of calling them...heads would roll.

Rose couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Well, even if Jack Harkness wasn't the alien of her dreams, he was pretty fascinating enough on his own. Probably for the best anyway. He was a bit much for her. "So...errr...when are you from, then?" Rose asked, wanting more information about this mysterious and fascinating life she had fallen into.

"I'm from the 51st century, Jackie's from New London around five billion and fifteen and Ianto's from 21st century Earth," he said, watching Rose's face carefully. She seemed a surprised at first, chewing on her lip and thinking hard and then simply nodded as if she'd made room for the new expansion of knowledge in her brain without so much as a protest. She really was something remarkable.

"How'd you all get together here? And what are you doing here? Why is the grumpy guy in the leather in charge? Are you really his servants?" she asked in a rush, the questions pouring from her mouth once they started.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jack chuckled. "All in good time, sweetheart. Gotta have something to discuss on the second date," he said, winking cheekily at her again.

"Who says there's going to be a second date?" Rose shot back at him, sticking her tongue between her teeth and matching his flirt.

"Oh, I'll wear you down, Tyler," he said teasingly, delighted to have found a friend in her.

With that, Jackie and Ianto swept back into the room. Jackie was carrying a steaming shepard's pie and, in cupboard he was fairly certain had only contained jelly babies and teaspoons yesterday, a delighted but slightly confused Ianto had miraculously been able to find not only dinnermats and candles but also some exquisite silver dinnerware with tiny engraved wolves on the handles.

Rose insisted that they eat with her and the meal passed in amiable conversation as the four (five with the occasional interjection from the logical little tin dog) fell into an easy conversation like old mates. Jack told fantastic stories of crazy, mad adventures and Jackie interjected bits he left out, usually about his general naked-ness. Even Ianto offered a tale or two and by the end of the meal, Rose's sides hurt from laughing so much. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, this life.

62.1239% in this room, K-9 noted, not that anyone noticed.

~~~~~ o)-}- ~~~~~

Flushed, full and thankful, Rose insisted on helping carry the dishes to the kitchen, where Jackie shooed Ianto, Jack and Rose out, claiming they would just get in the way.

"Dinner was lovely. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rose said, profusely thanking Ianto, who preened under her kind words but was also getting distinctly nervous that the Doctor might show up.

"Yes, yes, good dinner, great show, now off to bed with you!" he said, steering Rose toward the stairs.

She ducked out from under his arms and spun around in the foyer. "Oh, I couldn't possibly go to bed now! It's my first night in an alien spaceship!"

"Alien? Who said anything about aliens?" Ianto squeaked, looking accusingly over at Jack. "It was you, wasn't it?" he muttered, jabbing Jack in the side with his finger.

"Sorta figured it out myself, thanks," Rose laughed. "I'd like to have a look around, if that's all right?"

Jack took the opportunity to step up beside her and offer her his arm. "Would you like a tour? I could show you -"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Ianto worried. Aside to Jack he whispered, "We can't have her poking around you-know-where..."

Rose's natural curiosity, having laid so dormant so long in that dull provincial town, flared fully once again and she slid into charming mode. "Well, maybe _you_ could show me around," she said sweetly to Ianto. "I'm sure you know _everything_ there is to know about this place," Rose finished, winking subtly at Jack who had to cough to cover his snigger.

"Well, actually...I do!" Ianto said proudly, although it was slight lie. He didn't know _everything_ about the TARDIS...in fact, he doubted that even the Doctor knew everything about the TARDIS. In fact, in the days before the War, the TARDIS used to surprise them on a daily basis. But he did know enough to keep the girl fascinated in the enormous ship and away from the Doctor's private quarters.

With that, the three of them set off through the TARDIS with Ianto lecturing about everything he could possibly remember about the Timeship, Jack making disparaging remarks under his breath to Rose and Rose marvelling all around her.

"This is incredible!" Rose gushed, running her hand subconsciously along the wall as Ianto led her past the second swimming pool, barely listening to Ianto's babbling or Jack's snarking, preferring instead to listen to the warm music that seemed to be playing in the back of her mind.

"…and thanks to some quick thinking on my part, the disaster was averted," Ianto continued. Suddenly they came upon the very corridor he had been trying to lead them away from the entire trip. He scowled slightly. What was the TARDIS playing at? "Ah, and this way!" Ianto quickly redirected Rose and shot a desperate look to Jack, jerking his head toward the battered and beaten wooden door they knew was trouble.

"What's up there?" Rose asked, craning her neck to look at the corridor from which the two men were ushering her away.

"NOTHING!" they both said in unison, much too quickly.

Rose raised an eyebrow at them and Ianto shifted nervously. "Nothing at all of interest in the West Wing," he tutted.

"So THAT'S the West Wing!" Rose exclaimed, her interest doubling.

"Nice going," Jack muttered to Ianto.

"I wonder what he's hiding in there?" Rose asked, more to herself than either of the men, still craning her neck toward the room even as they pushed her forward.

"Hiding? What an idea! Hiding!" Ianto stammered, nervously. This had not been part of his training! Of course, hardly any of his life with the Doctor fit into his training, but still. One had to have constants in one's life.

"If he's not hiding anything then it wouldn't be forbidden," Rose answered stubbornly.

Jack grinned for a moment. "She's got you there," he said. Jackie was right. He did like this girl's spunk. But for her safety and their own, it was still best to keep her out of there. "Wouldn't you like to see something else, Rose? The gardens or the wardrobe or...ummm..." he struggled to come up with something that Rose would find irresistable.

Rose's ears had perked up at 'wardrobe' but the lure of the forbidden was still pulling her strongly.

"Or how about the library?" Ianto added in desperately.

And Rose was won. "You have your own library?" she asked, stunned.

"With books!" Jack grinned again. Two swimming pools, an indoor rainforest complete with waterfall, an entire room of bananas and she was most impressed with a dusty old room full of books of which she only understand a small fraction. A girl after the Doctor's own hearts, perhaps.

Although, to be fair, it was a very impressive library.

"Oh yes! Scads of books! Mountains of books! Forests of books! Cascades! Cloudbursts! Swamps of books!" Ianto caught on, seizing the distraction and starting off toward the library.

"Books with pictures! Books with words!" Jack said, waggling his eyebrows at Ianto and mocking him slightly.

"Well, of course the books have words, idiot," Ianto retorted. "More words than you could ever be able to read in a lifetime! Especially if you're Jack."

"What's that supposed to mean? I read!" Jack said defensively, falling in beside Ianto.

"Jackie's bodice rippers don't count," Ianto retorted. "And neither does the Kama Sutra. From any century," he continued, rolling his eyes and keeping ahead of Jack in the hallway.

The sound of their bickering voices faded down the corridor and Rose smiled to herself. Well, that had been easy. She felt a little bad about abandoning them and she really would love to see the library but her curiosity was getting the better of her. Her dad always said it would be the death of her one day.

She noticed that the humming that had seemed present around her since she first stepped into this place was stronger here, almost as if the source was near. As she approached a beaten, bedraggled wooden door, it fell open and she stepped over the threshold into forbidden territory.

She shuddered. The air in here was thick and heavy with something...remorse or regret or great sorrow, she thought. Or perhaps all three. Just standing here made Rose want to weep in sadness and howl with fury. Inside was a long, dark hall that featured things hanging along the wall. As she stepped closer to one, she noticed that they seemed to be a paintings of some sort. The first was a painting of an old man with white hair, hook nose and beady, intelligent eyes. Next came a tall, gangly man with a mop-top. He looked a bit like one of the Beatles, she thought. As she continued down the hall, she looked at each of the eight pictures, wondering who these men were and why it was so important to the Doctor to keep them hidden from her. She also noticed that each painting and, indeed the walls and floors surrounded her, were all drawn on, graffitied, she thought. It wasn't like any graffiti she'd ever seen before, all circles and geometrical symbols, but the way it was scrawled messily and aggressively throughout the hall made her think perhaps it was mostly rude.

The final painting had been ripped and torn, with a knife it looked like, and she could barely make out the figure that used to be on the canvas. The graffiti was heavier here too and, though she couldn't read the desperately scrawled words themselves, they shone at her, blood red and accusing and she could barely stand to look at them.

At the end of the hall was another room and here the humming became almost unbearably loud. She gasped in wonder as she took in the room. It was made entirely of a substance Rose would most likely categorized as coral and it shone a light, eerie alien green at her. Large struts rose along the walls and standing proudly in the center was a large tube of some sort surrounded by what looked like a circular control panel with all sorts of dials and levers and something that looked suspiciously like a bicycle pump.

The hum in the air changed slightly when she entered and Rose was drawn, entranced toward the console, toward the large tube in the center. She glided forward as if under an enchantment and reached out to touch the tube, fascinated as something inside it rose up as if to meet her outstretched hand...

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" roared an unexpected voice from behind her.

Rose snatched her hand back and blinked, turning to face the voice in surprise.

The Doctor, who had come back here to check on Her when he heard the TARDIS' song shift ever so slightly, was relieved to see that neither the girl nor the TARDIS seemed hurt in any way even though the girl had been going to touch the console. Very, very quickly however, that relief was turning into rage. And that rage blinded him from seeing how the TARDIS was responding to the little human.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he snarled, advancing on the small, suddenly fearful-smelling human.

"I..."

"I told you never to come here," he continued, getting closer to her even as she backed away, stumbling slightly on the grating. His eyes were blazing with the full Oncoming Storm and he knew very well that he must look terrifying. Good. He wanted to look terrifying.

"I know but..." Rose tried.

"But what? Rules don't apply to you? Of course not. You stupid apes never think they do. And that's what I've gone and gotten myself stuck with again. Another stupid, stupid ape. What...did you think were special?" Conflicting emotions flickered across her face as something flared and something died. "D'you realize what you could have _done_?"

A part of him was furious that she was still there in the room, still had the audacity to stand and argue with him when entire armies had fled before his anger.

_An equal_, something curious in his mind whispered.

And another part, a part even more frightening to him, rejoiced in her strength and in the fact that she was still standing up to him, still willing to face him, despite the smell of her fear-sweat and adrenaline.

_Someone to stop you_, a soft but harsh voice with a slight Scottish burr growled.

_Someone to keep you going_, offered an even quieter voice, one that made him think of dancing blue eyes and quiet smiles and cricket whites.

The Doctor shook his head and banished all those voices back to the past where they belonged and focused on the now. He had now nearly backed her into the wall and his bent face was inches from hers. "You had no right to be in here. NO RIGHT!"

He grabbed her wrist, intending to pull her out, to force her out the doors at the same time she started to dart past him and the resulting action slammed her into the wall with far more force than he'd intended, his hand still pinning her wrist. And suddenly he was deluged with her terrified, frantic memories of another man doing exactly that to her, domineering and predatory and cruel and she whimpered slightly. The Doctor let go of her as if electrocuted, ending the vision and staggering back from her, shocked and horrified and remorseful.

Oh, god. No, no, no. She'd been...and he'd just... "Rose, I..." he reached out a shaking hand toward her cheek, surprising himself but it felt so natural with her.

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, skittering away from his hand, tears blinding her eyes. "Promise or no promise, I won't stay here!" she whispered, the words more solemn and painful to him than if she had shouted them, and ran from the room.

The Doctor's outstretched hand fell heavily to his side and he felt tears of his own well up. Although he hadn't noticed how much brighter the room had been when Rose had been in it, he noticed now as it quickly darkened once more, the sorrow returning and descending on him like a knife in her absence.

He staggered over to the console and sunk down to the grating, cradling his head in his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Rose," he whispered into his denim-covered knees. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I didn't mean to hurt you. You don't understand. There's so little left of me…So very little left…"

And so, the Doctor cried. He cried for all the things he had lost.

And then, quite suddenly, he was crying for all the things he would now never have. Here, so close to Heart of the TARDIS, he could see Time much better, could reach out with his Time sense without the ever present pain that haunted anything that had formerly connected him to his people.

He watched as path after path of his own Time splintered and crumbled, potential paths that had suddenly shone at him with hope and wonder, crashing down around him. To his shock, every single one of those futures was tied to a shimmering pink Line he had never seen the like of before.

Rose.

What was she? What could possibly have that much power over a TARDIS? And a Time Lord?

Without that sparkling pink Line that Time itself rejoiced in, only one path remained. It was short and black and twisted. It stumbled, it faltered and, in darkness, it fell, taking with it the small, faint lines of blue, yellow and red that twined with it, sucking more and more down as it went, like a black hole.

And that was it. The Timelines retreated to the back of his mind and he gasped from the console room floor. Without Rose, that was his future. Hopeless. Unforgiven. Cold. A sad conclusion to a miserable life.

And he would destroy Jack, Ianto and Jackie with him. And many more.

Just like he destroyed everything.

He would never again be moved by something beautiful. He would never again let goodness around him make him a better man. He would never again feel passion, stir with pride, shout with joy.

If he couldn't lov- ha. He could barely even think the word, much less comprehend it..

_There could be no deeper pain, no cheaper life. No hope, no spirit, no point_, he brooded.

If he couldn't love her...

_Let the world be done with me_, the Doctor thought. The curtain of his consciousness fell and he descended into darkness.


	5. Just a Little Change

Rose, blinded by her tears, ran through the corridors until she found herself in the main entrance hall. She wrenched open the door and took off into the forest around her, barely noting the downpour around her, her only thought to get as far away as she could from the box and the man inside it.

A blood-curdling shriek above her head made her look up and she screamed to match it. Hovering above her was a terrifying, horrendous monster. Its blood red eyes and huge gnashing teeth glowered at her in the darkness and pouring rain. She stumbled back, terrified, and tried to run, only to trip over a branch. Picking it up, she brandished it from the ground at the dragon-monster who swooped in at her, barely missing, its claws grasping at her hoodie.

What was she going to do now?

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

The TARDIS suddenly shrieked in his mind, a terrible, frightened scream calling him into action. The Doctor shot to his feet from the grating and, without thinking, without realizing he was doing something he'd purposely stopped doing, something he'd convinced himself he could no longer do: he reached out with his mind to both Her and the other occupants of the TARDIS, searching for the source of Her terror.

He found the others: Jack and Ianto in the hall near the Library, bickering. Jackie watching telly in the Media Room. K-9 charging in the Hearth Room. Rose...

Rose?

Where was Rose?

He frantically reached out for her, his earlier brief mental connection to her allowing him to trace her signature, albeit not very well. He didn't like what he found. She wasn't in the TARDIS.

He suddenly felt the beautiful, golden hum of energy that used to be his constant companion flood through his skull. The TARDIS connected fully with him in a way she hadn't done for YEARS, boosting his connection with the girl and before he even had a moment to register the wonder of THAT, he found her.

She was outside.

And she wasn't alone.

Oh, no.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

The gigantic Thing swooped in on Rose again, this time grabbing her meager weapon in its talons and tossing it aside. She was trapped, closed in on all sides by briars and thorns and she closed her eyes as the horrible, sharp mouth descended on her. Then there was a sudden flurry of noise and commotion around her. She opened her eyes just in time to see a leather-coated blur vault over the fallen tree behind her. The Thing's teeth to close tightly over his arm instead of her.

With a howl of pain, the Doctor shook his arm and flung the creature off as it it were merely an annoyance, like a gnat or a fly. It careened to the side and he stood over her facing it, righteous, glorious anger pouring off of him as he defended her. He was Time's Champion and no creature of the Void would stand between him and those he protected. He opened his mouth and spoke, beautiful and strong, melodious alien words falling from his lips and Rose watched him, utterly entranced. He was not human. He couldn't be.

The Thing shrieked again and opened its wings as if it were going to swoop in once more and the Doctor's thunderous words rang out over the clearing again. Something very strange happened then and, looking back, Rose wasn't sure she would ever be able to properly describe it. It was like being the center of a hurricane, the eye of the storm. It was the entire universe and yet it was nothing at all. It felt as if Time itself rippled and then exploded around them, a seismic wave of pure Time sweeping out from the epicenter of him (and thus, her) and the horrific creature above them simply disappeared into nothingness.

Rose gaped at the space it had once occupied and then her eyes flew up to the silhouette of the man standing over her, still blazing and magnificent.

Suddenly, he looked down at her and all the onerous power fell away from his bright blue eyes, replaced with shining concern and something so ephemeral she couldn't place it.

"All right?" he asked softly and Rose nodded, still watching him carefully, unable to tear her eyes from his. "Good," he said, then promptly fell to the ground like a stone, unconscious.

"Doctor?" Rose cried, frantically. "Doctor?!"

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

The Doctor sat on a bed in the MedBay growing increasingly irritated at all the fussing surrounding him. If they would all go away, he could straighten himself out in a moment. His arm would heal quickly with a simple gel infusion and the dermal regenerator and what he really needed was a nice, long nap to recover from the massive amount of temporal energy he had spent banishing the Reaper. He didn't need them to help him.

Except...well...it did feel rather nice, actually.

Rose had helped him onto the bed and the heat of her hand still lingered on the skin of his back where it had rested under his jacket to help him through the TARDIS halls.

He cradled his injured arm to his chest and watched as Jackie bustled around the MedBay, making a bowl of healing gel at his instruction and Ianto fussed with the hospital corners of the surrounding medical beds. Jack stood to the side, watching everything with concerned eyes. It was him who had found a frantic Rose half-carrying, half-dragging the unconscious Time Lord through the forest back to the TARDIS.

Jackie set the bowl and a flannel down on the small, metal table next to him and, before he could reach for it, Rose had plucked up the small cloth and dipped it in the mixture, reaching out to put the soothing balm on his arm. The Doctor growled slightly and retracted the arm feraly, pulling it away from her and closer to himself.

"Don't do that," Rose chastised. "Let me see," she tried commanding and his defiant blue eyes blazed at her. She reached for him again but he still squirmed out of her way. Honestly, he could do it himself. "Just hold still," Rose coaxed, her wide, pleading brown eyes peering up into his. The Doctor sighed and gave in, sticking his injured arm out to her. He had a feeling those eyes were going to have that effect on him a lot.

Rose dabbed gently at the wound and all thoughts of warm, brown eyes were instantly displaced by a wave of very colorful, untranslatable swearing. "OI! That hurt!" he howled at her.

"Well, if you would hold still it wouldn't hurt so much," Rose retorted.

"Well, if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened," he snapped back at her.

"If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!" Rose answered, matching him fire for fire.

iAn equal/i, that voice he couldn't quite place smirked at him again.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but, for one of the first times in his long, long lives, couldn't come up with a response. Rose glowed at him triumphantly and so he finally responded, "Well, you shouldn't have been in the West Wing!"

He was right, she shouldn't have been and she was sorry for it. She would apologize to him later. But if she'd learned anything from her father's stories of her mum, Tyler women did not back down from a fight. "And you should learn to control your temper!" Rose challenged back.

The Doctor didn't have an answer for that and so Rose and he glared at each other in a silent battle of wills. Suddenly, the Doctor broke the contact to whip his head over to scowl at his three human companions who had again been watching the interaction with great interest. All three instantly averted their eyes and, while he was distracted, Rose dipped the cloth in the mixture again. The slight sound of her wringing it out caused him to swing his intense gaze back to Rose.

She took a deep breath. She could get lost in those deep, soulful blue eyes, she thought. "Now hold still, this may sting a little," Rose said quietly, staring into his eyes and willing him to accept this, to accept her offer, her help. She dabbed gently at his arm and she didn't miss how he winced slightly but did not pull away, keeping his eyes on her the whole time.

"By the way," she ventured, suddenly aware of how very close she was to him, her thighs pressed against his knees, her hair brushing lightly against his good arm, her face inches from his when she looked up. "…thank you for saving my life," she finished, his gentle breath ghosting across her cheek.

"You're welcome," he replied just as softly and noting as well how very, very close they were and how very, very warm she was.

Jack, Ianto and Jackie exchanged an incredulous look and slipped silently into the hallway.

"Well, that's more like it," Jack said, not even bothering to come up with a more innuendo-laced comment. It seemed like that would cheapen the moment and that had been a moment rich beyond all belief.

"I knew they could get along if they tried," Jackie smiled.

"I've never seen him, this him, look so...calm," Ianto said, wonderingly.

"I've never seen him, any of him, look like that at a girl," Jack answered.

"And not a moment too soon," Ianto replied. "I don't know about you but this never-changing, dreariness is starting to grate on me," he finished, sighing heavily.

"Oh, you're just angry about your belt," Jack teased.

"Not now, you two," Jackie snapped. "It's time for us to give them a little push, I think," she said, getting a distant look on her face.

"A nice, romantic way to draw them together?" Jack said, joining in cahoots with her, grinning and knitting his eyebrows together to think.

"Oh, c'mon, Jack. You can't actually believe that he could have feelings for her, do you? The Time Lords have rules about that sort of thing, you now," Ianto started.

"Had rules, Ianto. Had," Jack responded quietly. "I've seen a lot of relationships in my day...it was part of our training as Time Agents: assessing relationships and connections in a moment is a very useful advantage to have. And I'm telling you...there's something there. Anyway, he always has been a rebel." Ianto still looked dubious.

"I have just the thing!" Jackie said, snapping her fingers. She stuck her head back into the MedBay, startling the Doctor and Rose, who scurried, almost guiltily, back from each other.

"How about we warm you two up with a nice bowl of soup?" she said, delighted at herself.

Out in the hall, Ianto and Jack exchanged another incredulous look. "Soup?" they said, in unison.

"Trust me," Jackie replied under her breath to them, sweeping off to the kitchen.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

The Doctor and Rose walked down the hall toward the Hearth Room and the promised soup in silence, each caught up in their own musings. It did not go unnoticed by him that he adjusted his normally long, purposeful strides to match her shorter, slower ones. Or the way her human heat warmed him even from the other side of the (suddenly much narrower) hall. Or how, when his hand brushed against her accidentally, she didn't shudder or flinch.

He looked over at her surreptitiously through the corner of his eye and met her doing the same thing. Both of them flushed slightly and snapped their heads forward and then Rose giggled. The sound shot through him, suffusing itself deeply in his soul and he suddenly vowed to get her to make that sound as often as possible.

The Doctor had expected to go to the main Kitchen or one of the many dining rooms in the TARDIS but instead, She led them to the Hearth Room. A roaring fire was blazing in the magnificent fireplace and in front of it, a small table had been set with chicken soup for two with two large, comfy overstuffed chairs. The Doctor, like K-9, noticed that the TARDIS functionality had increased in this room and that She seemed healthier and happier than She had in a long time. He'd have to get his screwdriver and check it out. She also hadn't receded from his mind since She had connected with him to help find Rose and he almost couldn't believe his luck. He laid a hand on the wall and sent out a tentative wave of thanks to Her and was rewarded with a similarly tentative 'you're welcome'.

His hearts soared, a feeling he wasn't used to in this body and it almost made him dizzy. And for the very first time in this body, he felt well and truly hopeful. It was going to be ok. They were going to be ok.

"Doctor?" a small voice said, pulling him back from his internal dance of joy.

"Yes?" he responded, turning back to face Rose and his breath caught and he suddenly felt electrifyingly dizzy once more. Standing in the flickering light of the fire with her damp hair drying in waves around her shoulders, her wet t-shirt clinging to her curves admirably (she had shed her blue hoodie to wrap around his bleeding arm in the forest) and a small, shy smile on her lips, she looked...well...beautiful, he realized with a start.

Wait...when had he started noticing things like wavy hair and admirable curves and shy smiles?

Oh well. It didn't matter. He would be ok and she would be ok and everything else would come.

In a move that completely surprised them both, he threw his head back and laughed. It was a glorious, deep, booming baritone sound that this body had never made before and it had been so, so long since his laughter had rung out in these halls. He scooped Rose up and she squeaked in surprise not fear, as he swung her around the room. She threw her head back and her laughter quickly joined his, because really, how could she possibly not laugh with a sound like that?

They both calmed and he gently sat her down on the carpet, moving his hand to cup her face, a contact she allowed this time. "Precious girl," he said softly. Rose stared into his fathomless blue eyes and could swear for a moment, she felt the Earth turn beneath her feet.

And then he was gone, jumping away to slouch his lanky form into one of the chairs by the fire, bowl of soup in hand. "D'you know there are over two thousand different types of soup on your Earth alone? And that's not even counting stews," he said, seemingly at random.

She blinked at his quick movement and abrupt change of demeanor but grabbed her own soup from the table and perched in the other chair. "Oh yeah? And what about in outer space? How many types of soup are out there?"

"Oh, millions and millions, Rose Tyler," he replied lazily, covering up his surprise that she apparently knew he travelled in space and had, apparently, accepted it enough to speak of it casually. "Give a man a tasty object and the first thing he'll do is throw it in a bunch of water and try to boil it."

"That so?" she said, sticking her tongue in her teeth and grinning over at him. His eyes widened at the surprising bio-physiological response that unexpectedly had on him and shifted and blushed slightly. At least she couldn't see him in the flickering light, anyway. "Well, we'll have to give 'em all a go, then. Millions of soups...s'going to take a while, I reckon."

"Oh, yeah. Years. And that's not counting the stews," he replied, unsure how to take her response and trying to ignore the persistent little spark of hope shooting through him, warming him in a way the fire couldn't. She wanted to travel with him? For...a while? How long was a while? She'd just tried to run away. And her father was here...her world, her people, everything familiar to her.

Not that she could get away now, with the Time Lock in place. Or that he could take her anywhere, anyway. His mood darkened a bit. Useless, he was. She'd never want him. He was drawn out of his dark reverie by her surprising response.

"And that's not counting the stews," she hummed in agreement, smiling honestly and watching him carefully. "Guess we'll just have to go back for those once we're done with soup."

"Not a bad life?" he asked cautiously, meaning a lot more than an actually rather unsatisfying-sounding life of eating solely liquid-based food. Although, with Rose Tyler at his side, maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe a lot of things wouldn't be so bad.

"Better with two," she grinned back at him, meaning a lot more than years just eating bloody soup (he knew that, right?) and was rewarded with a small upward quirk of his lips she was determined to make appear more often on that severe face of his, the darkness in his face retreating in the light of her smile. They grinned at each other like loons for a moment.

"All right, come along then, dearie! Let's get you out of those wet things!" boomed Jackie from the doorway, followed in by Ianto who bussed out their soup bowls and spoons.

The Doctor watched as Rose was hustled from the room by Jackie. He and the TARDIS connected once again, both of them thinking the very same thing.

She was right.

iBetter with two./i

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

And that was how, three weeks later (in linear time), the Time Lord found himself standing in the doorway of a room he didn't even know he had, watching as the girl he hadn't wanted on his ship in the first place shoved snow down Jack's collar.

Well, not snow, exactly, but as closely as TARDIS could do to match snow. Rose had decided that it was Christmas in the Timeship and the TARDIS had met the challenge with glee. Even Ianto had joined in, rejoicing in the amount of Christmas decorations the TARDIS had provided him and Jackie had battle-axed them some Christmas cookies that could be eaten by dipping them in tea for a few minutes first.

The former Time Agent yelped and declared vengeance on Rose who danced away and ducked behind a tree, giggling. Jack charged after her, making snow fly everywhere, disappearing behind the tree with her. The giggling stopped and suddenly quiet descended around the room. From the doorway, the Doctor craned his head in their direction, wondering (and worrying) what exactly could keep both the energetic young people quiet for any long amount of time.

Unable to control his curiosity (and the surge of his jealousy - which, of course, he ignored) he stepped all the way into the room and toward where he had last seen Rose...only to get an entire faceful of snowy surprise from Jack.

"JACK!" he roared, charging after the quickly retreating flyboy when an enormous snowball hit him square in the middle of his leather-clad shoulders. The Time Agent doubled over with laughter as the Doctor froze and sputtered, turning to face Rose who giggled at him winsomely.

"Your face!" Jack howled, falling to the ground.

Ignoring him, the Doctor bent down and slowly began packing himself a large snowball, holding Rose's eye contact the entire time.

"You wouldn't dare," Rose said breathlessly and not just from all the running she'd done with Jack. Having his complete attention fixed on her like this was...intoxicating.

"Wouldn't I?" he said, slowly advancing on her.

Rose squeaked and turned tail, running gleefully through the white landscape with him tearing after her until the Doctor had her cornered. Her face was flushed from the running and from the slight chill in the air (The Doctor had informed Rose that the TARDIS could provide her snow without the cold temperature, Rose had insisted that the chill was part of the fun. To the great amusement of the household - and the TARDIS- they'd compromised).

Stalking over to her, tossing the snowball casually up and down, Rose pouted up at him with big eyes. "C'mon, Doctor. You wouldn't really throw that at me, would you?"

Stopping just shy of her, the Doctor smiled disarmingly down at her. "Of course not, Rose," he purred. She let out a small breath and his smile turned wolfish. "But I will put it down your shirt!" he crowed, stuffing said snowball inside her collar so the damp snow trickled down her back.

"Doctor!" Rose squealed, batting out at him blindly, managing to tangle her legs with his and bring him down with her as she writhed, trying to get the cold substance out of her shirt. He laughed, the beautiful baritone sound that had been ringing out through the TARDIS at a much higher rate these days, mixing in with her soprano giggle.

In the confusion, Rose suddenly found herself sitting on top of his chest, staring into his eyes. She looked down at him and smiled, her hand coming up to lightly trace the scar on his cheek. Three weeks. Three week and she found herself falling for him at an alarming rate. True, he was no Prince Charming. He was still moody and grumpy and they occasionally fought like an old married couple but she couldn't deny that there was something drawing her to him.

And she thought he felt it, too.

The Doctor stared up at her, enjoying the warm weight of her on his chest and her fingertips on his cheek and thought he caught something new in her glance before she blushed and clambered up off him to tear after Jack once again. No...it couldn't be. He'd just ignore it.

But then he didn't think she'd ever looked at him that way before.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

It had all started two weeks and six days ago when, after an evening of sleep for both of them after that tumultuous first day, Rose had appeared the next "morning" in a room where the Doctor was at the table drinking tea, eating Jammie Dodgers and reading a book. Just reading a book. Certainly not thinking about a certain pink and yellow human. Not at all.

"Good morning," Rose said, sleepily, stumbling into the room, apparently in search of tea. The Doctor looked up in surprise, both at her sudden appearance and her location. This was "his" kitchen , the one only he used and it was generally hidden from the other occupants of the TARDIS. Jackie had long ago given up trying to make him breakfast since he kept such strange hours (and it was safer than Jackie's breakfasts) and he preferred to be alone in this incarnation anyway.

Or so he thought. He studiously ignored the small flame of something that felt an awful lot like excitement that surged through him when she appeared. And the errant, random thought that she looked rather adorable all sleep-tousled and bleary-eyed.

"Tea?" he asked, politely.

"Ta," Rose said, sinking down across from him into a chair and putting her head down on the table. Rose Tyler was not a morning person.

He looked up from his book at her unmoving form in surprise. Confused, he looked from her to the teapot several times. If Rose had had her head up, she would have laughed at him. He blinked and, after a few seconds, his genius brain eventually figured out the part of the equation that wasn't working. Apparently she had taken that as an offer to not only share in his pot of tea but also an offer to get it for her. The Doctor stood for a moment, baffled and then, because he saw no other choice, began to prepare her tea for her. Any small twinge of annoyance he had at her was quickly forgotten as he heard the TARDIS gently titter at him in amusement. Well, if it made her happy...

Grinning, he poured a cuppa and set it on the table beside Rose. "Milk and sugar?" he asked.

Rose's response was somewhat muffled between her arm and the table. "Beg your pardon?" he asked, surprising himself again. He hadn't said that since...well...since he'd been the Last One.

"Both, thanks," Rose said, raising her head and taking the mug from his hand. He settled back into his chair and watched her with a raised eyebrow. With the tea drained, her eyes brightened considerably and she suddenly ran a self-conscious hand through her blonde locks.

"Must look a right mess," she muttered to herself and the Doctor pretended not to hear. Looking up at him, she flashed him a brilliant smile and, seeing the book in his hand, seized the conversation topic. "Whatcha reading?"

"The Signalman," he responded automatically.

"Ooo...Dickens. I love Dickens," Rose said with a small smile. "Prefer Great Expectations, myself, though," she said, sticking her tongue in her teeth again.

"You...you read?" he stuttered, distracted once again by that strangely intoxicating tongue thing she did.

Rose looked at him as if he was being purposefully obtuse. "'course I read. What'd you think? That I was thick?"

"No!" he said quickly. "I just...most people don't..."

"No one does realism quite like Dickens. And the death of little Nell! Cracks me up every time. Gotta say, though...that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit? It's total rubbish," she said, nabbing one of his biscuits and then breezing out of the room.

When Jack accidentally stumbled in on him several moments later, he was still gaping after the girl in astonishment. "What's going on, Doc?" Jack asked, startled at the expression on the Time Lord's face.

"It's Rose," he said in a strange tone.

"Rose?" Jack asked, slightly worried. He and Jackie hadn't even set their big plans into motion yet. The Doctor couldn't go screwing them up already. "What about her?"

"She...she's...she's amazing," he said, in wonder.

Jack smirked to himself. Time Lord rules his gorgeous, well-toned arse.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

Later that day, the Doctor found Rose sprawled out on the floor talking to K-9. "Umm... 18487138 times 1891724?" Rose asked, clearly picking the numbers at random.

"3.4972563e+13," K-9 replied, wagging his tail.

"The actor who played Pete Beale on Eastenders?" she tried.

"Peter Dean," replied K-9 automatically. "The character made its first appearance in the programme's first episode on February 19, 1985."

"All right, all right! I give up!" Rose said, giggling and rolling over onto her back. "You know everything. You're very impressive, K-9."

"Oi! What about me? Aren't I impressive?" came an indignant voice from the doorway. Rose shot up off the floor and brushed herself off. She wasn't sure exactly where she and the Doctor stood with each other. They'd both been rude, she had invaded his private space, he had frightened her, she'd run off, he'd saved her and she thought they'd both forgiven each other. And she found she wanted to get along with him. There was something sweet and kind buried under all that gruffness and she wanted to see more of it.

"Dunno," she said, walking toward him slowly, giving him every moment to bolt if he wanted. He didn't. "What's Shakespeare's best play?"

"Easy. Hamlet, without a doubt," he responded quickly. "Although that's not really a fair question because it's an opinion, not a fact."

"And yet you still got it right!" Rose grinned at him. "Ok, another question. How'd I get my blue hoodie back this morning even though it got ruined yesterday?"

"It's the Time Lock," the Doctor replied, shifting uncomfortably. "It reverts you back to your default attire each time it resets. Since that's what you were wearing when it first locked on, that's what it gives you."

Rose cocked her head to the side, considering that. "So that's why you've got the same clothes on as yesterday?" she asked.

"No," he responded. "I always wear the same clothes. I exist inside the Time Lock in a different way than you or the other humans."

"You're an alien?" Rose said, a bit breathlessly, edging a little closer to him.

"Yeah," he said, noting how she had moved closer to him instead of away. Remarkable, again. "That all right?" he asked, unsure of what had come over him or why her answer was so very important.

"Yeah," she responded so quickly, it sounded automatic.

"I've got a surprise for you," the Doctor said gruffly, before he lost his nerve.

This had been Jack's idea. In the kitchen, he'd mentioned that he wanted to give Rose something and this had been the winning idea. And it had come after he'd rejected all of Jack's other suggestions including "flowers, chocolate, promises that you don't intend to keep" among other things that he didn't think bore mentioning ever again.

"A surprise?" Rose said, shocked.

"First you have to close your eyes," he replied, suddenly feeling mischievous. Rose closed them...then peeked one open.

"Oi! Eyes closed!" he said, teasing her. Rose grinned as she felt the air in front of her move as he waved his hand in front of her face.

She stuck her hands out to feel the walls, nervous about walking around a place she'd only just moved, blind, but the Doctor, much closer to her ear than she had expected, whispered, "Trust me?" She nodded and relaxed and then Rose felt his large hands come gently to her shoulders and he steered her out the door and across the hall.

"Almost there," he said, opening the heavy wooden door that led into the library. He helped Rose through the doorway and then gaped around in surprise himself. It seemed that the old girl had cleaned up in here. The Library, which had of late been an aggressively messy disaster was now an enormous, beautiful gothic room with gleaming bookshelves, comfortable couches that begged to be sat upon and a roaring fireplace.

"Can I open them?" asked Rose in a small voice from the doorway, feeling strangely bereft without the Doctor's hands on her shoulders.

"Not yet," he said, grinning as he spotted a large beautiful picture window just off the side. He pulled the curtain open and bright, beautiful TARDIS-provided sunlight came pouring in and spilled over Rose's face. "Now!" he said.

Rose opened her eyes and gasped. "I can't believe it!" she gushed, spinning on the spot with a look of such wonder and delight that the Doctor thought her smile might leap off her face. "I've never seen so many books in my whole life!" she cried, running over to skim her hand along the shiny spines of the gleaming books.

"You like it?" the Doctor asked shyly from beside her, leaning against the nearest bookshelf with his ankles crossed, the casual position of his body hiding the tension he was feeling as he waited for her answer.

"I love it," she said, turning back to him and giving him a brilliant, thousand-watt smile. He felt his hearts skip a bit.

"Me too," he said, softly.

Casting a look back at him, Rose laughed with delight and ran giddly through the stacks of books, her laughter following her through the booming hall. The Doctor unlocked his ankles and stood up fully to follow her through the shelves.

From the doorway, Jack and Jackie smiled at each other. "Would you look at that," Jackie said softly, almost unable to believe the secret smile on the Time Lord's face.

"I knew it would work!" Jack said, pumping his fist in the air.

"It's so peculiar," Ianto added, coming up behind them to watch as the Doctor leaned up to pluck a book off a high shelf and hand it to Rose.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Jack said. "A few days more and maybe there will be something there."

"No," Jackie said, smiling at the the strange pair walking through the library oblivious to the world around them. "I think there's already something there that wasn't there before," she finished, slipping from the doorway.

"What's there?" Ianto asked, turning to Jack.

"We'll tell you when you're older," Jack smirked, patting Ianto playfully on the head before turning to follow Jackie.

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~

The Doctor had been wandering through the stacks, quietly running callused fingertips over books he'd long forgotten he had when he realized he hadn't heard the comforting sounds of Rose moving about for a few moments.

Almost fearfully, he turned back to find her, growing slightly frantic with irrational worry. He found her sitting on the floor with her back to a shelf absently flipping through a large beautiful book. Her hair had fallen over her face slightly and he watched as she blew it back and then bit her lip slightly.

His breath caught in his chest as he realized what book she had. It was a gorgeous, ornately illustrated book of Gallifreyan childrens stories. Rose was reverently turning the pages and touching the illustrations and swirling foreign words with wonder.

He tentatively slid down beside her, not too close but near enough to touch the gilded edges of the pages with her and feel her human warmth next to him. "What is this?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"A relic," he replied. "From a place that no longer exists."

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"It was," he responded and she looked up at him with deep eyes, knowing instinctively he meant something other than the book, something more.

Wistfully, Rose said, "I wish I could read it."

The Doctor looked down at the top of her blonde head and cleared his throat. "Well, Rose Tyler, it just so happens that this is the perfect book to read aloud," he said, standing up and taking the book.

Rose scrambled up to her feet. "Where're you going?" she asked, confused but willing to follow him.

"Over to the fire," he said, looking over at his shoulder at her like she'd dribbled on her shirt. "More comfortable than the floor."

"Depends on what you're using it for," Rose shot back saucily and when he jerked his head up to look at her in surprise, her tongue was stuck in her teeth. His lips twitched and threatened to break into a smile so he turned away to plop down on the couch.

"Come on then! Sit by me?" he asked, more vulnerability in that question than he meant to put there.

"Sure," she replied, and settled down on the opposite side of the couch, curling her legs up under her body to face him.

The Doctor took a deep breath and started to read, letting the old words of his culture wash over him and letting Rose's fascination with them breathe new life into the story. She lost herself in his rough, soothing voice and as the day wore on, shifted until she was right next to him, her leg almost touching his, her hair brushing against his leather clad arm.

"Then, for the third time, he reached out and grasped for her hand -"

"So that must mean she's the Wolf!" Rose exclaimed, unable to help herself.

"Wait and see!" he chastised, his sharp words offset by the sweet, gentle smile turned toward her.

Rose sighed and dared to lay her head down on his shoulder. "S'what I love about books," she said, fiddling with the edge of her hoodie.

"What?" he asked softly, laying his hand over the pages of the book.

"How they can take you away...make you imagine wonderful things that you never even thought were possible," she said, her voice full of longing.

The Doctor looked down at the blonde head resting on his shoulder and felt once again the determination to show her some of those wonderful, impossible things. "D'you know what I mean?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, daring to move his hand subtly so the edges of his fingers just grazed hers. "Helps me forget sometimes."

"Forget?" Rose asked, softly.

"Who I -," he stopped and the fingers near hers clenched into a fist. "What I am," he growled. Stupid Time Lord. What was he thinking? He stiffened and began to close the book, moving away from her when her warm, little hand reached out and covered his, stopping him.

"We have something in common, you know," Rose said, turning to face him but ducking her head so her curtain of blonde hair covered her face.

"What is that?" the Doctor asked, tentatively reaching out to sweep her hair back from her face and then stopping himself.

Rose looked up at him suddenly, her own eyes full of sadness and, if he read her correctly, shame. "In the town where I come from, the people think I'm odd," she said, quietly.

"You?" he asked, incredulously.

"So I know how it feels to be...different," Rose continued, tightening her hand on his briefly. "And I know how lonely that can be," she finished.

He looked up at her, bright blue eyes blazing into warm hazel and he suddenly wanted to tell her everything. "I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor said, his voice dark with sorrow. "I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm left travelling on my own because there's no one else," he finished.

"There's me," she said and her sincerity beamed at him in the flickering firelight. His breath caught and he looked away from her, emotions threatening to brim over his hearts. Looking down at the book in front of him, he continued, "For the third time, he reached out and grasped her hand, and pulled the Wolf with him. They would never have to be alone again," he finished softly.

"Told you so," Rose's sleepy voice came from his side.

He leaned down and pressed a barely there kiss to the top of her head. "So you did," he answered quietly. "So you did."

~~~~~ )-}- ~~~~~


End file.
